Sectional tray.



No. 886,824. PATENTED APR. 28, 1908.

J. E. NORRIS.

SEGTIONAL TRAY.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 11, 1907.

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UNITED sTATns PATENT OFFICE. Y

JOHN E. NORRIS, OF NEW CASTLE, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNORTOTHE STANDARD WIRE 00.,

OF NEW CASTLE,

PENNSYLVANIA.

SECTIONAL TRAY.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented April 28, 1903.

Application filed. July 11, 1907. Serial No. 388,318.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN E. NORRIS, a citizen of the United States, residing at New Castle, in the county of Lawrence and State e? Pennsylvania, have invented a new and eful Sectional Tray, of which the following -.s a specification.

My present invention has for its object to provide a simple and efiicient attachment for etter trays, askets, and various other devices of a similar nature whereby devices of such character may be built up in sets having capacities varying according to circumstances, each tray or other device constituting a unit that may be added or removed, as may be desired, the invention having in view attachments of this character that may be readilymanipulated to lock orrelease them relatively to an adjacent tray or section, although when the attachments are properly locked, accidental disengagement thereof relatively to a cooperating tray is impossible.

Another object of the invention is to provide such an attachment that is ca able of being adjusted to a position that wi l render it invisible and will not form an obstruction to the tray or receptacle when its respective supporting devices are not being used to sup- 1 port another tray above it.

To these and other ends, the invention comprises the various novel features of construction and combination and arrangement of parts, which will be hereinafter more fully described and pointed out particularly in the ap ended claims.

n the accom anying drawing :Figure 1 is a longitudinarsection of two trays su erposed one above the other, and PIOVldBd with supporting attachments constructed in accordance with the present invention. Fig. 2 represents a transverse section of the device shown in Fi 1. Fig. 3 is a pers ective view of one of t e supporting attac ments removed from its tray.

Corresponding parts in the several figures are indicated throughout by similar characters of reference.

Supiporting attachments constructed in accor ance with the present invention are capable of being ap )lied generally to letter trays for desks and receptacles of various kinds, and in those cases where it is desirable. to em loya plurality of trays that are ca aable being added to or reduced in num er according to circumstances; and in the present .embodimentof the invention the supporting attachments are shown applied to ordinary letter trays Which may be of woven wire or other suitable construction, it being.

points, and the upper edge of the tray is surrounded by a wire 3 which is preferably offset outwardly beyond the periphery of the bottom 4.

The supporting attachments shown in the present instance are arranged transversely across the opposite ends of the tray, and are preferably composed of wire havin an intermediate portion 5 extending para lel to and in close proximity to the bottom of the tray, clips or other suitable attaching devices 6 and 7 serving to pivotally connect the su porting devices to the tray. The ends of tge wire are bent to extend in parellelismand at right angles to the intermediate portion to form uprights 8 and 9, the upper ends of the uprights being formed into catches to cooperate with .thewire surrounding the up er edge of another tra ,the catches shown eing formed b ben ing over the ends of the wire to form oops 10 and 11, the ends of the loops being upturned, as at 12 and 13, to form supporting hooks, the space between the upturned ends of the loops and the vertical' portions of the uprights forming passages through which the cooperating portion of the upper tray enter the respective hooks. The hooks on the attachment, at opposite ends of the tray are reversed, although each pair of hooks on each attachment areturned 1n the same direction. In order to facilitate the introduction of the hooked ends of the.

attachments into the respective openings at the corners of the tray, it is preferable to spective openings, and the hooks may be easily engaged u on the wire. 3. In practice, t e supporting attachments are normally folded upon the bottom of the tray, as shown in the upper portion of Fig. 1,

g the attachments when so adjusted being other papers.

, The wire tray is then caused to enter the considerably without liability of disengage-i passage leading to .the respective hooks, the

weight of the tray serving to retain the wire in cooperative relation to thehook. a

In order to permit the trays to be handled ment, it ispreferable to arrange the uptiu'ned portions of the hooks in close pron uprights are i having means for supporting. it to move into with portions of the upper trayi v j imity to the adjacent portions of the uprights, so that some pressure will be required to force the wire through the passage leading to the hook, the loops affording su'fiicient resilience to enable these upturned ends to yield as the wire is inserted, the upturned ends thus serving as catches to revent accidental disengagement of the wire relatively to the hoo In order to permit relative movement between the trays while in locked relation, the preferably so arran ed as to bear against t e periphery of the ottom'of the tray to prevent tilting ofthe supporting attachments.

What is claimed is:

1. An attachment for trays and similar articles, having means for mounting it on a tray, and hooked portions projecting above the tray and adapted to cooperate with another tray for removabl'y rip olding the second tray over and space from the first named tray. I

2. An attachment for trays and the like,

and out of operative relation to a tray, and above said tray and adapted to operative relation with another tray to uphold the last-named tray aboveand in spaced relation tothe first-named tra and to .de-

'taehably lock the second-name -tray.insuch.

upheld position -3.- The combination a tray-or similar article, of. a pair of attachments for ,u holding another tray above and in space relamtionmtg the first named tray, said attachments having hooks thereon' 'to cooperate spending portions of an a 4. Devices for supporting trays and similar articles in superposed spaced relation embodying a pair of upholding devices pivand to support it above 1.

5. Devices for supporting trays and simi lar articles in superposed re a pair of supporting devices pivotal ly at tached to one of the trays and having locking devices thereon adapted to cooperate with i 7 tron embodying another tray, and catches for retaining the locking devices in engagement with the cooperating tray.

6. Tray attachments for supporting trays in superposed relation embodying a air of attac posite ends of one tray and having hoo s thereon adapted to co" erate with corre- 'acerit tray. 7. The combination with a tray or similar device, of means for supporting another tray above that first mentioned embodying a pair of supporting attachments having intermediate portions pivotally' attached to the'opposite ends of the,lower tra ,each attac ment having a pair of uprig ts arranged in alinement with the corners of the two trays and provided with hooks at their upper ends 7 to 006 erate with portions of the upper tray.

8. he combinatibn with a tray or similar device, of means forgsupportin another tray above that first menltioned em odyinga pair of supporting attachments having intermediate portions pivotally attached to the opposite ends of the lower tray, each attac ment having a pair of uprig ts arranged in alinement with the corners of the two trays and provided with hooks at-their upper ends to cooperate with portions of the u per tray, and catches for retaining the hodk gagement with the cooperating tray. 7

9. The combination with upper and lower trays, the upper tray having openings in the corners thereof and provided with a circumferential wire, of a pair of supporting attachments pivotally connected to the lower tray andhaving uprights ada ted to enter. the openings in the corners of t e'u per tra and hooks on the upper ends of t e uprig ts to detachably engage the circumferential wire on the upper tray. c v

10. A supporting attachment of the character described embodying an" intermediate journal portion, a pair of uprights connected to the intermediate portion, and supporting hooksupon the free ends ofthe uprig ts, sai

hooks having upturned terminal portions.

11,. Asupporting attachment of the char- 1 acterdescribed-composed- -of a strip of wire having an intermediate journal portion, uprights extending substantially in parallelism and at ri ht 'les-lt'o the intermediate ortion, and. ook s ormed upon the free en of ments pivotally connected to t e 0 -j s menform 100 s en the'uprights and having their closed sides toward the intermediate portion of the attachment. 7

- 12. A su porting attachment of the character descri i) sages lead' to the openings in the hooks, the upturne ends of the hooks serving as catches for the latter. I

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as 15 ed composed of resilient niaterial my own, I have hereto affixed my signature having'an intermediate portion, and a Ipair of 'in the presence of two witnesses.

uprights havi their utpper ends dou led' to the en s-of the letter be upturne adjacent to the body portions 0 their respective uprights to form hooks opening upwardly into the loops and having pas- JOHN E. NORRIS. Witnesses: V

- LEONARD M. UBER,

, JONAS KAUFMAN. 

